In the aircraft industry, onboard engine performance monitoring equipment is used to record engine and aircraft performance data and to detect defects or the need for routine engine maintenance. The onboard systems are used to generate "fault codes" representing symptoms of engine and/or performance problems. Ground maintenance personnel use the fault codes to direct maintenance efforts using maintenance manuals that provide suggestions for appropriate actions or responses to each fault code. The maintenance log is updated by ground personnel after carrying out the appropriate actions. If a part is replaced, and the part is under warranty, a form is filled out to request compensation from the engine manufacturer for the part and possibly the cost of the labor. The warranty claim is processed by the manufacturer of the engine. Data on the history of the engine repair as well as hours logged are consulted to assess the claim.
The prior art maintenance control systems are awkward and inefficient to use, in that the fault codes, maintenance manuals and warranty claim application systems are not integrated, and the maintenance personnel is responsible for transferring information between the various systems. The warranty claim validation process, as known in the art, is also hampered by an overburden of unacceptable or improperly substantiated claims, and by a lack of the engine performance data in the warranty claim application to be able to assess properly the claim.